BREAKING: Will Aubrey Plaza Play an Irish Deity in the MCU?

It’s not very often we have breaking news in the Irish mythology world.

Alas, a new report from CBR suggests that Aubrey Plaza will be playing a character based on an Irish deity in the Disney+ series Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (formerly Agatha: Coven of Chaos and formerly, formerly Agatha: House of Harkness).

Specifically, if a U.S. Copyright listing filed by Marvel Studios is to be believed, Plaza will be playing Rio Vidal, a character invented for the show—i.e., Rio Vidal isn’t from Marvel Comics.

However, and this is a big however, CBR goes on to note that Plaza’s character “reportedly mirrors the Emerald Warlock Dian from the Green Witch stories in the comics, a character that’s deeply rooted in Irish mythology.”

Whoa.

After years of me writing about how Marvel Studios could introduce the Irish gods into their cinematic universe and doing not one but two rounds of fan-casting (yes I’m a huge nerd), is it finally happening? Are the Irish gods finally making their big MCU debut courtesy of the one and only Aubrey Plaza?

Eh, it’s complicated. Let’s dive in.

Who Is Dian the Emerald Warlock?

Now, at first glance, I assumed the aforementioned Dian the “Emerald Warlock” was the Marvel Comics-version of the god Dian Cécht from Irish mythology. 

In the myths, Dian Cécht is the healer of the Irish gods (a.k.a. the Tuatha Dé Danann) and the son of the Dagda, the father of Irish gods.

Dian famously supplies the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Nuada Airgetlám—Nuada of the Silver Arm or Hand—with his namesake appendage forged from precious metal after the king loses his original appendage in battle.

And while Marvel Comics does indeed have its own version of Dian Cécht, that Dian is not the Emerald Warlock.

The Dian Aubrey Plaza’s character is reportedly inspired by is a different Dian from Irish mythology, one I wrote about in my article on the 10 most powerful Irish druids. (FYI: I also made a video adaptation of the article you can watch below.)

This Dian is the son of the Athenian sorceress Carman, who, in the myths, attempts to conquer Ireland with her three sons: Dub (Darkness/Black), Dother (Evil), and, yes, Dian (Violence).

These aggressive Greeks are repelled by a fearsome Tuatha Dé Danann foursome, the most impressive of whom (at least in this story) is the Irish druidess Bé Chuille.

The myth ends with Carman being captured and Dian and the other sons being banished from Ireland.

As it turns out, the Marvel Comics stick pretty close to this traditional narrative. Only in their version, Dian eventually returns to Ireland to seek revenge. And he picks up quite the snazzy moniker along the way: the Emerald Warlock.

Given his penchant for sorcery, this Dian naturally (supernaturally?) finds himself getting into scraps with two of Marvel Comics’ best-known witches: Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch). And by all accounts he is able to match their power levels. Thus, Dian does seem to be a good fit for the upcoming Disney+ show.

But Why Not Just Make Aubrey Plaza’s Character Carman?

Here’s what I’m hung up on: In the myths, Carman is the boss. She is the one the people of Ireland fear. Part witch. Part warrior. And her sons are essentially her lackeys.

Yet in the comics, Dian is the one who gets the major glow-up and the cool nickname.

True, in the comics just as in the myths, Carman dies from grief while imprisoned in Ireland. But when has death ever kept a good comic book character down?

Why not have Carman come back from the dead in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries or, better yet, why not keep her alive in the first place and have her escape from Irish-god jail so she can set out to reconnect with her sons? 

The plot writes itself.

Rio Vidal can be Carman’s assumed name—the secret identity she uses while navigating the modern world.

True, Rio Vidal definitely sounds more Spanish than Greek, but hey, a little geographic tweaking and we’re good to go. Just have Carman and her sons come from Spain like the invading Milesians (i.e., the mythical version of the Gaelic-speaking Celts) who would eventually defeat the Tuatha Dé Danann and send them underground.

This would be an especially fitting retcon because, as I explored in my article (and video—see below) on the Irish gods of death, Spain was literally the location of the Land of the Dead for the ancient Irish.

So, what do you think?

Is this it? 

Is Irish mythology finally going to have its big debut in the MCU?

Or, once again, will Kevin Feige leave all of us Irish mythology super-fans as grief-stricken as an imprisoned Greek sorceress?

We’ll have to wait and see.

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P.S. Looking for some comic books and graphic novels that are a little more faithful to the source material? Check out my list of 10 graphic novels based on Irish and Celtic mythology.

Want to learn about the darker side of Irish mythology? Check out…

Samhain in Your Pocket

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Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy

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More the listenin’ type?

I recommend the audiobook Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes by Philip Freeman (narrated by Gerard Doyle). Use my link to get 3 free months of Audible Premium Plus and you can listen to the full 7.5-hour audiobook for free.